In March 2011, Rep. Akin told a CSPAN audience that he does not like Social Security, describing as just “as tax.” 

Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It’s really a tax, that’s all it is. Social Security is a tax. The government has taken the tax. There’s been more money coming in than going out. And we spend it. That’s not been responsible. I don’t like it. I didn’t design Social Security. It actually came from Bismarck, FDR put it in place.

Incredible stuff.  WATCH IT:

Despite Akin’s claim, Social Security is far more than a tax. After 75 years in existence, the program “remains one of the nation’s most successful, effective, and popular programs.” It has dramatically reduced elderly poverty — nearly half of seniors today would be in poverty without it — and it is the nation’s most effective tool at alleviating poverty among people with disabilities. It does all this while spending less than a penny per dollar on administrative costs. And despite conservatives’ fear mongering, Social Security is not going bankrupt any time soon.

For all these reasons, Social Security is beloved and respected by Americans, even if it isn’t by Akin. The program’s support among Americans is so strong that a PPP poll from January found that 67 percent of tea party supporters would rather raise taxes than raise the retirement age on Social Security.

More here.

<< Back Home